PITTSBURGH — Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett and Washington wide receiver Jahan Dotson carried the first-round torch for Pitt and Penn State on Thursday night. But Friday was expected to deliver even more Panthers, Nittany Lions and local players to the NFL.
The first one off the board was Penn State pass-rusher Arnold Ebiketie, who was selected 38th overall by the Atlanta Falcons. Ebiketie was the sixth player selected in the second round and the sixth defensive end picked in the entire draft.
Ten picks later, Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker heard his name called. Brisker was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 48th overall pick, becoming the fifth safety picked behind only Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton, Georgia’s Lewis Cine, Michigan’s Dax Hill and Baylor’s Jalen Pitre.
Ebiketie, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, was a dominant stop-gap off the edge for the Nittany Lions. A Temple transfer, Ebiketie spent one year at Penn State and led the team with 9 1/2 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. That TFL total ranked second in the Big Ten, ahead of Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and behind only Wisconsin’s Leo Chenal.
“I knew I had to go in there and earn it,” Ebiketie said at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. “Nothing was going to be given to me.”
On Friday night, he earned quite a bit of praise from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
“I love the kid. This guy can get after the quarterback as good as anybody in this draft,” Kiper said on ESPN’s broadcast. “He did it at Temple. He did it at Penn State. This is a kid who plays hard. People say he can’t play the run that well; I thought he was more than adequate against the run. He gives you everything he has. James Franklin loved this kid. He’s strong, powerful, athletic. And he has that knack that you cannot teach, you cannot coach about getting after the quarterback.”
Brisker, like Ebiketie, was a big part of Penn State's defense that was tied for sixth in points per game allowed (17.3). Brisker, who joined the Nittany Lions from Lackawanna Community College in 2019, tallied 64 tackles, six TFLs and two interceptions.
For his efforts, Brisker earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and second-team All-American recognition from the Associated Press.
Ebiketie and Brisker might not be the only Penn State players off the board on Friday. Offensive tackle Rasheed Walker and linebacker Brandon Smith have a chance to find a home in the third round.
Meanwhile, Pitt cornerback Damarri Mathis might hear his name called on Day Two, as well as Shady Side Academy graduate and Western Michigan star wideout Skyy Moore.
